Burundian civilians cross border after M23 militia captures Uvira, raising fears of a wider regional conflict and displacing over 200,000 people
UVIRA, DR CONGO: More than 500 Burundian civilians crossed the Kavimvira border back into their home country under the watch of soldiers.
The group had been stranded in the Democratic Republic of Congo by fighting after the M23 militia launched an offensive in early December.
The M23 seized the eastern DRC town of Uvira days after signing a US-brokered peace deal in Washington.
The capture allows the militia to control the land border with Burundi and cut the DRC off from military support from its neighbour.
M23 spokesman Lawrence Kanyuka sought to show media on Sunday that Burundians were now safely able to return.
“We pleaded with the M23 to understand our suffering and help us cross the border,” said Burundian national Heshimwe Bismas.
UN peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix warned the advance “has revived the spectre of a regional conflagration”.
He also warned of the potential “fragmentation” of the DRC in Africa’s Great Lakes region.
Since taking up arms again in 2021, the M23 has seized swathes of territory, leading to a spiralling humanitarian crisis.
More than 200,000 people, mostly civilians, have been displaced by the fighting, according to the UN.
The M23’s latest advance has left its mark along National Route 5, which runs from Kamanyola to Uvira.
Burnt-out Congolese army trucks, abandoned weapons and looted homes line the usually busy road.
Displaced person Samuel Masikitiko struggled to push an overloaded bicycle as he decided to return home.
“Last Tuesday, the fighting was intense and we fled towards Sange,” he said.
“After two days there, the fighting reached Sange. We fled again towards Kigube on the Burundian border.”
Nearby, Yona Were hoped to find his three sisters, lost in the chaos when they fled.
Safi Mapendo, a displaced woman from Luvungi, said she was forced to return home to avoid “dying of hunger”.
On the outskirts of Uvira, M23 fighters searched houses for Congolese or Burundian soldiers or allied militia members.
Burundi had sent 18,000 troops to support Congolese forces against the M23, but most have now crossed back.
“The situation is not yet back to normal,” said one resident, who asked not to be named.
Some residents gathered in Uvira’s cathedral on Sunday to attend mass and pray for peace.
While a fragile calm has returned to the city, fighting rages just 15 kilometres to the south in Makobola.
Despite Washington’s protests, the M23 continues to advance and now threatens the towns of Baraka and Fizi. – AFP
